Marketing is selling to a defined audience. Sales are to anyone, but marketing is devoted to finding and selling to the group who is most likely to make a purchase.

Reaching business to business (B2B) customers

There are three ways to reach B2B customers and prospects: Magazines, Direct Mail, and Trade Shows. Of course, there’s salesmen, and then there’s the phone, but I hate making selling phone calls almost as much as salesmen “just stopping by” my office.

Advertising vehicles such as newspapers, TV, and radio address too general of an audience to be effective for most business to business sales and are generally used for consumer products and services.

Most business to business product marketing is defined by the boundaries of an industry – or several industries – as opposed to defined by geographic boundaries like the markets for services, retailers, or any of the many local consumer markets.  I will admit, smaller B2B service providers do need a skillful set of defined geometric boundaries to grow in a logical fashion.

RSC Lead Sheet

The most common prospecting tool in B2B marketing is the “lead sheet” from a publisher when you take out an ad or press release in their magazine.

Most ads in business magazines have a “Reader Service Card Number” at the bottom of each ad: “For more information Circle Reader Service Number 00.”  The reader finds the reader service post card bound into the magazine (also called the RSC, or bingo card because it has all of the numbers from all of the ads making it look like a bingo card), finds the number corresponding to the ad, circles it, and mails the card.

Upon receipt, the magazine publisher prints the reader’s name, address, and phone along with some ancillary information about the prospect, then sends the advertiser print-outs on mailing labels with the leads on them.

Each magazine supplies the advertiser with what they feel is the most pertinent data about the reader, which is taken from the reader service card the reader filled out or the data in the publisher’s files about the reader when he requested the magazine.  This is usually comprised of name, title, company, phone, and sometimes type of firm, size of company, budget, interest level, urgency and/or immediacy of need.

All these should to be taken with a grain of sand by the advertiser who is free to send – or not send – information, or call the suspect.  I don’t consider readers using the RSC as quality leads or actual prospects quite yet – all they have proven so far is they somehow got a copy of the magazine, have a pencil and can circle a number.

Interpreting the Reader Service Card Information

My favorite piece of information supplied by some magazine publishers is not usually found on the short survey of the reader service card.  The favorite piece of information I’m referring to is the number of other inquiries the reader has made on the card.

If the publisher includes this data, and you can see the reader made 40 other inquiries, I feel the reader is either new to the industry, new to the magazine, or just likes to get mail.  If the reader has circled no other numbers I feel he’s a likely bet of having genuine interest in our product and I would probably call him.  Most leads fall within those extreme parameters.

Unfortunately, while the quantity of RSC leads can be quite heavy, these are the names and addresses with the least value.  Because it’s so easy to circle numbers to get free information, a good percentage of RSC leads are from people with wood burning stoves that want your expensive literature to heat their houses in the winter.

Five classes of RSC Prospects:

1. The less interested: they  had a brilliant idea using your product when they saw your ad a couple of weeks ago, but by the time they received your literature they have forgotten why they circled it and now wonder why you have sent them something.  Result: your direct mail literature only gets the briefest of looks before being tossed out

2. The people who like to get mail – it makes them feel important

3. Consultants – you know the ones: those who like to keep their finger in the pie and taste everything without really ever buying anything

4. Your competitors: it was just sooo easy to get your pricing breakdown and promotions by circling a number

5. Real prospects.

At our own offices, we always try to weed out the best leads from the mix – although it isn’t always possible, sometimes even unlikely, and we just usually wind up sending literature to all or at least most of them.  Least most?

Handling RSC leads

If you are prospecting heavily with lots of ads, and your literature is expensive, I favor a smaller package of literature sent to RSC leads for the first mailing, with a big response post card inside for the reader to be able to get more literature or your FREE Booklet of useful information.  You do offer a FREE Booklet of valuable information, don’t you?

In your direct mail response package show your product in the data sheet, tout the benefits in the letter, and sell the response hard: “Send for our big, information-rich package showing you everything you need to intelligently buy a product like ours.  Call now for our FREE brochure of comparative data on every model available from every manufacturer and then decide for yourself which you’d choose…”

By using a four step approach (Magazine ad, RSC Reply, Small Mailing Package, Large Mailing Package) – making the reader send for additional material and our harder hitting and more expensive package, it saves us from sending our $6 dollar mailing package to everyone and allows us to narrow the list from literature seekers to those more genuinely interested in information about our product as a prelude to possibly purchasing it.

It’s a little unusual, but the three step marketing package works well.  It saves you from sending expensive literature to everyone – and filters out the “just curious” from the really interested.  Reader service cards are known for supplying an easy vehicle that prompts the curious to circle additional numbers without much extra effort.

If your product is lower priced, and you need an immediate sale – you probably should ask the prospect to buy right off the bat, from your first mailing.  With low cost products, there generally isn’t enough money or time in the sale for two or three pieces of correspondence.  Buyers also recognize the lesser cost of products don’t warrant as much product investigation and a shorter sales cycle.

Consumer marketing is different from B2B Marketing  because in consumer marketing your initial objective is to close the sale on the order, in B2B your objective is to get the inquiry, the sales call or the positive response to send more info.

Most B2B orders – and customers – are worth more, B2B orders can be thousands and thousands of $$$ and customers may remain for years and years.  RSC card play an important part of marketing to business customers, but remain profitable only if handled with care and forethought.

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Here, we discuss increasing mid-level readership and increasing direct mail response.  Learn to fine tune the body of your letter, paragraph by paragraph.

The opening paragraph

The opening paragraph of your direct mail letter is the place to show your biggest benefit.  Lead with your best stuff first – or did you want to wait and take a chance you’ll lose readers?  This should be your hottest copy and your most exciting benefit.

“Enjoy this, the biggest benefit of our brand new product – and here’s our best offer!” The actual way to phrase this copy might sound like, “Enjoy the easy and extra-fast swing of our new ultra-lightweight tennis racquet!  And now you can try it FREE for 30 days!”

Show benefits

In any direct mail marketing campaign you show the features in the brochure, and the benefits of those features in the letter.  The brochure tells, the letter sells… and asks for the call frequently.  Direct mail marketing has it’s own set of rules.  Rules that have been thoroughly tested by billions of direct mail marketing letters.

You remember the difference between features and benefits, don’t you?  Products have features – a teacup has a handle, that’s a feature.  The benefits are what people derive from those features – when you hold the teacup with the handle you don’t burn your hands.  The benefits – what people get from the product’s features – go into the letter.

Second paragraph.  This is a transitional paragraph of your direct mail letter expanding on your biggest benefit.  As with all the paragraphs, set the type flush left with a 4- or 5-character indent, rag right and hold all paragraphs to under 7 lines at most, 5 lines or less is optimal.

Third paragraph – a great place to show all your benefits.  The best use of your third paragraph is to place a bulleted list of benefits right in the center of your direct mail marketing letters.  Showing all benefits here may sometimes become too fluffy, so including a few product features is OK in this list.

· Bulleted lists have high readership.

· Show one benefit to a line.

· Everyone likes a bulleted list.

· Know who will read this paragraph?  Everyone.

· Even people who just skim your letter read this.

· Don’t forget to direct readers to call now & order!

So you need better-than-average copy here, since it is the highest readership in the body copy of your letter.  You need short and sweet killer copy.  Each single line drives the reader further into the rest of the letter, and closer to buying your product and closer to the phone.

Fourth paragraph.  Want to make your direct mail letter visually different?  Indent this paragraph and place it in italics.  Move the margins in one inch on BOTH sides, so the paragraph width is about 3 inches at most.  And reduce the font size by two points.  This gives your letter copy some air – a little breathing room – and makes it look easy to read, even if it isn’t.  Tout the benefits and ask for the phone call in this foreshortened paragraph.

Shortening this paragraph – a part of the best letter design practices – can work if you have a list in your third paragraph, but looks best if the paragraph above it isn’t in bullet list format.

Fifth paragraph.  Here’s where you really sell the phone call. “Just pick up the phone and call us right now.  Questions, comments – your call is always welcome — here’s our phone number: 800-987-6543.”

Don’t be afraid to ask people to call you several times in any direct mail advertising, and the sales letter is no exception.  Ask for a call in the fourth and fifth paragraph.  This fifth paragraph is where you MUST sell the phone call hard.  Remember, no phone calls – no orders = failure.

Also – show your actual phone number in the text of the letter in this body copy of your direct mail marketing campaign letter.  Yea yea, I know – it’s in the letterhead.  Show it again here in the text. And again in the PS. It encourages phone calls – need I say more?  Any arguments?

Signature: Sign legibly.  Even if your real signature looks like the X made by Attila the Hun, sign so people can read it.  It’s a visual hook – keep it legible.

The PS in your direct mail marketing campaign letter is your last chance to briefly restate your one or two biggest benefits, your incredible offer, and ask for the phone call.  Last chance – make a great, irresistible call to action.

White space.

Don’t forget the other half of your direct mail letter – white space.  Keep a lot of breathing room around your copy, let it air out.  This may mean reducing your font size from my first preference of 12 points to a slightly smaller 10 point size, but if it makes the letter look light, breezy and easy to read, it’s worth it.

BTW, I always prefer Courier typeface to make the letter look like a traditional letter.  While the letter may be an ad, to make your direct mail letter the most effective it can possibly be, it should look like a letter.

Tests show that when 100,000 letters are mailed with the exact same copy, with 50,000 printed in courier typeface and the other 50,000 in a different typeface, the courier typeface letters draw the best response.

Remember, direct mail letters are secretly ads – not really letters.  They have their own set of distinct rules for effectiveness and the effectiveness of their design has been measured over time.  We’ll still call our ad a letter, though.  OK?

- Jeff

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

All direct mail marketing campaign packages have common elements: outer envelope, letter, brochure; most have a reply card or reply envelope.  While a 4-color brochure can supply the glitz and glamor, it’s the letter in today’s direct mail marketing campaign that brings in the orders.  Examine the letter in your direct mail campaign with an eye towards generating higher readership, which means more phone calls and orders.

Once people open your direct mail package they glance at your brochure, but they read the letter. But is it really a letter?  No, it isn’t.  A letter is a personal correspondence you write to one or two people.  When you send it to ten, ten thousand, or ten million people – it’s an ad.  It’s a highly stylized ad designed to look like a letter.  Any arguments?

A great direct mail letter can overcome a poor offer or a product’s expensive price tag and still bring in orders.  In fact, a well written direct mail letter can work when mailed just by itself.  The only factor that a great direct mail letter can’t overcome is the incorrect list.  But… that’s another article.

Like any direct mail advertising, the opening parts of the perfect direct mail marketing campaign letter attract readers and pull them into the rest of the package. Here are the first two parts of a direct mail marketing campaign letter:

Johnson Box

Named after the late Frank Johnson who first isolated this space in the 1960’s and used it for advertising copy, it’s the area above the salutation, but across the page on the upper right. The Johnson box is where you put the ad for your sales letter.  It’s function is to quickly capture reader attention, and drive customers to read the rest of the sales letter copy.

The reason this part of the page has such incredible pulling power is: it’s the highest visibility area on the page.  It’s above the fold – and a natural catch place that draws the eye and captures attention.

If copy is brief and well designed this area gets exceptionally high readership.  And since it’s not actually inside the body part of the letter it’s usually not perceived as part of the letter copy.  So it stands out: up and away from the rest of the letter.

This area can be just a line or two in the same type style of your letter (Courier is my favorite).  My preference is to have two short lines of 5 to 8 words, flush right, and then directly above (or above and below if you have the vertical space) these lines, on the very next line type ****’s [shift + 8] spanning the length of the words.  This graphically separates these lines from the rest of the letter, yet still defines the lines and space as part of the letter.

In direct contrast to the above paragraph, this area can also be used as a small ad.  Design this space tightly: short and sweet with typeset copy, with a one inch offset from flush right, and show the ad without a border.  Keep in mind it’s a hot area and should be written and designed solely to entice the reader into the rest of the package. It can contain teaser copy, a quick synopsis of your biggest benefits, or a line or two touting your best offer.

The Opening

One or two lines that start your letter become your entire first paragraph.  Keep in mind the shorter the better.  Your opening lines can even be just one or two words, set off by themselves to be the entire opening paragraph.  With an opening paragraph of just two words, readership is ensured.  Next paragraph – just 5 to 7 words  This is the perfect direct mail letter opening:

Your best offer.

And a few words about it.

See how this works? You need to electrify this area.  Readership survival of your whole direct mail marketing campaign is at its highest risk in the your first line of your letter.  Good just isn’t good enough for this particular spot, your letter opening needs to be G-R-E-A-T!

Like the headline of an ad, the first line of a direct mail marketing campaign letter is written and designed to pull readers further into the body copy by way of intrigue, interest, coercion, desire, and seduction. Hey, wait a minute… this sounds like how I got married!  Funny thing about marriage – while most women don’t seem to marry you for your money, they all seem to divorce you for it.

No selling in the opening line of the letter.

The objective of your sales letter’s first line is just to make people continue reading.  The first line is a critical junction: readers don’t have any commitment in your marketing letter — they haven’t invested reading time, don’t know how great your product is or how reasonable your offer.  They don’t identify with you — or anything you’re selling.  Readers can jump ship without guilt or curiosity at this point.  Your copy here better be great.

Additionally, it’s way too early in the mailing package to sell anything; it’s before you have made any kind of any value proposition: shown the benefits of what you are offering, and how great your offer is to receive those benefits.

Reader fall-off at the beginning of your letter is at its greatest danger, unless you’re really perfect with your first line.  You know what that means, don’t you?  Yes, use the Jeff Dobkin 100-to-1 Rule to create your first sentence.  Write 100 opening lines, go back and pick out your best one.  Hey I didn’t say you’d like it, I just said it was effective.  The 100-to-1 rule is from the book, Uncommon Marketing Techniques, from the Danielle Adams Publishing Company.

This is the end of part one of the article series on increasing the effectiveness of your direct mail letters. The next article shows marketing tips for increasing readership in the body copy of your direct mail marketing campaign letter.  Each paragraph is dissected for what you need to include for maximum response.

- Jeff

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Post cards are excellent direct marketing vehicles. Because of their short format, they’re not great at closing sales, but they’re awesome at flushing out people who are interested, generating inquiries and making your phone ring with very warm prospects.

This is the fourth article in the series on increasing response by Jeffrey Dobkin on creating effective post cards. The first article set the goals and objectives of your post card marketing campaign. The second and third articles examined how to write and design post cards that draw maximum response and make your phone ring. Here are 15 offers you can make to get your phone to ring.

One of the biggest benefits of any direct mail marketing campaigns is it can be so well-targeted to highly qualified suspects, prospects, and current and past customers. Postcards can be mailed with precision to a highly focused mailing list. Since postcards can be so selectively mailed to a target audience, unlike most advertising mediums such as newspapers, magazines, trade shows, radio and TV, there’s no wasted advertising expense.

Direct marketing campaigns using post cards are low in cost because post cards are cheap to print, address and mail. A very aggressive marketing campaign – including mailing a postcard every two weeks for a full year – is just $13. This cost includes the post card, printing, mailshop services (inkjetting the address and sorting in zip sequence) and postage costs.

Of all direct mail formats, postcards are easiest to handle – no folding, stuffing, tabbing, inserting – just address and mail. And postcards make your phone ring by using the the age old direct marketing criteria of the right headline, clever copywriting, bright graphics, and an irresistible offer with a solid call to action: “Just pick up the phone and call right now for this FREE Offer!”

I did mention you need a great offer to make the phone ring, right? Here are 15 suggestions…

Remember the objective of direct mail marketing post card campaign is generally not to sell anything – it’s just to have the reader call you and to make your phone ring. So make your offers sound great, and make “calling for information” sound so tempting and easy the reader just naturally reaches for the phone. Here are some offers to make the phone ring written specifically for the insurance industry. Not in the insurance field? Modify some of these and they’ll work for you!

· New types of coverage are available from our office, and from our new line of providers. Call now and get our FREE booklet on…

New LTCI discount rates.

New: Low Cost Travelers Insurance.

· New types of policies are available… Call now to see the very different kinds of policies you can now get…

New: Boat protection insurance

Now: Providing New Tractor Insurance

New: half year policy – why buy a whole year when you just need…

· FREE Upgrade. As our providers change, some new policies offer extended coverage for the same rate. Call and see if you are eligible for an upgrade for FREE! Call now and…

· New Lower Rates: Some rates go up, some just go down. Call us for our free list of cost reductions…

· New Discount Insurance Companies. Our New “No frills” providers now offer ultra low cost bare-bones coverages. Call us right now to see if you qualify for…

· FREE Policy Review. (Make this a wonderful twice-a-year offering, or “On Special Request.”) Call us for a…

· New products are available in Auto, Life, Health, LTC and business protection. Call now for…

· Our New Providers offer better rates, policies and coverage. Call now for…

· More Protection, Less Cost. Selected coverages. Call now for…

· Thanks for your business

· Thanks for your referrals

· Free Quotes. Always our pleasure to quote.

· Immediate coverage – Immediate bond. Why wait? if you’re in a hurry and need coverage our agents

· Immediate quotes on most coverages on your request!

· Free Lunch. Yes, we’re buying! Call for…

· FREE Booklet! “11 Ways to Save on Your Insurance!” “How to ask for and get a lower rate!”

· FREE Analysis! Let me look over your policy portfolio and I’ll show you where you can save money. Get rid of lousy coverage you don’t need.

· Lower your risk: Call us first for all your insurance quotes.

Direct marketing with post cards is easy and effective, IF you know how. You need to 1. know what to say, 2. who to say it to, 3. create a very hot headline, 4. make an attractive offer, and 5. blend lively graphics with 6. enticing copy and 7. mail to the right list.

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

This is the third in the four article series by Jeffrey Dobkin on creating effective direct mail marketing campaigns with post cards. The first article listed 5 objectives and goals of your direct mail post card campaign. The second article on post card marketing highlights 5 ways to create your postcard campaign to make your phone ring with maximum response.

This article continues with 7 more new ways to increase response from mailing post cards.

1. When you offer a FREE booklet in your post card, make sure Your Booklet Title Fantastic.

The booklet title is where “good” just isn’t good enough. Your booklet titles need to be spectacular. “12 Ways to Lower Your Insurance Premiums.” “How to Stop Your Roof Leak by Friday!” “10 Things to Check before Calling a Tow Truck.” Make sure your booklet title – way beyond a shadow of a doubt – will drive every reader to call.

2. Mail Frequently.

While a single postcard can certainly hold it’s own with a hot headlines, crafty copywriting, tight transitions, and irresistible offers, postcards campaigns – like most other direct mail marketing campaigns – work best when you mail with frequency and regularity.

Consider a 5 or 6 postcard campaign to stay in top of mind awareness of your best prospects and customers, or to build loyalty and exposure for yourself through multiple brand impressions. Cost? Just $3 for 6 cards.

For a longer sales campaign over time or for products with a long sales cycle, continue mailing with regularity. Even if you mail postcards every two weeks, the cost of this direct mail post card campaign is just $13 (26 x $.50) for an entire year.

When mailing a sequence of postcards, place the sequence number on each card to let readers know each card is an integral part of a full postcard marketing campaign. Print “Postcard Series, Card Number 5 of 20″ or whatever the card number.

If you don’t know how many postcards will be in the marketing campaign, just say “Postcard Series, Card Number so and so”. This adds credibility to your firm and your direct mail marketing campaign. It lets readers know you’re not single shot in the dark or a one trick pony.

3. Postcards are cheap to mail and are delivered fast.

Postcards get a special rate from the post office. And since they are easy to handle you can get a mailshop to address your card, image the barcode automatically and mail first class – and the postage savings will usually cover the cost for the mailing house to do all the work: the ink jetting addressing, sort in zip sequence, and mail.

Even with a mailhouse doing the work, your postcard campaign will still be cheaper than mailing postcards bulk mail. The cost for the mailshop is offset by the savings in postage. Delivery will be faster too – your postcards will arrive in just a day or two.

4. Mail to a Great Mailing List.

By specifying the right mailing list there’s no wasted expense. Your ad is precisely targeted and delivered only to the tightly qualify recipients on your direct mail mailing list. With the correct selection of a direct mailing list, you can mail to only the most highly qualified prospects, or past and/or current customers.

With a hand-selected mailing list, virtually 100% of your postcards reach your best targets in your marketing campaign. The better your mailing list, the better your response – the more your phone will ring. An excellent resource for how to tightly specify your mailing lists can be found in the book, “How To Market a Product for Under $500!” from the Danielle Adams Publishing Company. The chapter on direct mail is almost 100 pages.

This book dedicates over a dozen pages to the correct selection of direct mail mailing lists. It emphasizes how to tightly specify mailing lists, how and where to find mailing lists, test mailing lists, and the technical in’s and out’s of negotiating a mailing list purchase.

Another source for specifying and purchasing mailing lists is the one hour audio, “How to buy a great mailing list!” by Jeffrey Dobkin interviewed by internet wizard Markus Allen. This audio is available in MP3 format on the website www.danielleadams.com. Learn to specify and buy a mailing list like a pro in just one hour by listening to this download.

Additionally, in the book “Uncommon Marketing Techniques,” a chapter similarly titled “How to Buy a Great Mailing list!” is an excellent resource in mailing list specification.

You are only as good as your mailing list – make sure you spend additional time in finding a great direct mail mailing list. It’s impossible to spend too much time investigating which mailing list is the best list to test and mail.

5. The size of your postcard campaign

How many postcards do you mail? Here’s what to mail in your postcard marketing campaign: Micro business? Mail postcards to your top 1,000 prospects, and your top 200 customers. Midsized business? Mail postcards to your top 10,000 prospects, top 2,000 customers. Large business? Call me and let’s talk. BTW, when I write and design postcards for clients, I always use oversize postcards that are 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″.

6. Yes, you can reuse the same post cards.

Suppose you create ten post cards, and you have a heavy mailing schedule – like you mail every two weeks. To complete this direct mail marketing campaign it would take you almost half a year. While you know your postcards by heart and are probably sick of seeing most of them so many times through the writing, editing and design process, your customers got them and glanced at them in a heartbeat before they called you, then tossed them out or filed them away. They won’t remember them. Feel free to repeat the cycle starting with card one.

Better news: if customers remember one or two of the postcards – this means you received excellent recognition and brand retention. Congratulate yourself. Good job. OK, party’s over, now get back to work. Continue mailing the rest of your post cards, or create new ones.

7. The value of your post card campaign.

What’s a client worth to you? $500? $1,000? $5,000? Maybe $500 a year? $5,000 a year? Here’s a proposal: suppose you sent prospects a postcard every two weeks – or 26 postcards a year. Your cost? At 50¢ each, that’s $13 bucks. And if you get one client from this postcard marketing campaign? Success! Don’t forget all the while the rest of your postcards are still hanging around generating calls. And if they are also written and designed correctly they can be building a relationship of loyalty and trust.

Is it worth a $13 postcard direct mail marketing campaign to entice a prospect to call you? How about spending $13 on postcards to keep clients active and thinking about you (and how great your service is) all year long?

Is it worth $13 a year to use postcards to build loyalty and trust into a lasting relationship. Let me put it to you this way… How much does it currently cost for you to get a new client? Now how does that figure compare to $13?

This is the third in the 4-article series on using a direct mail postcard marketing campaign to make your phone ring. To read the complete article set, and to read additional articles on direct marketing with post cards please visit www.danielleadams.com.

In the fourth and final article in this series, Jeffrey Dobkin shows you 15 offers you can make on post cards to get your phone to ring. Since these articles were written for the insurance industry, offers are for insurance agents. Fortunately, if you’re not in the insurance field, most of these offers will still work pretty well for you anyhow.

- Jeff

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Post cards are one of the easiest direct mail marketing campaigns to create.  No folding, stuffing, sealing, stapling, affixing – just print, address and go.  Postcard postage is cheap compared to the rest of direct mail, and delivery is fast because mailing first class can cost the same as bulk mail when post cards are bar coded and mailed in zip sequence.

The first article outlined the goals and objectives of our postcard campaign.

In this, the second of four articles in this series by Jeffrey Dobkin on creating highly responsive post cards, we discuss how to design and write postcards specifically to make your phone ring with maximum calls, maximum response.

In the third article in this series on direct mail marketing with post cards, we examine the final seven ways to create maximum results with your post card marketing campaign.  In the fourth and final article – which was written for the insurance industry, you’ll learn 15 specific offers to make the phone ring.

If you sell insurance, you’re in luck – these offers were written specifically for you.  If you don’t sell insurance, ummm… you’re probably better off, selling insurance is boring.  And, most of these offers will work for you anyhow.  Hey, don’t go into insurance on our account.

Here are the first 5 ways to make your post card direct mail marketing campaign even more effective by increasing your response rate.

1. Paint a picture with your postcards.

Postcards show clients you are on your toes and just waiting by the phone to help them. Fast quotes, industry research, business help, referrals – whatever they need, direct mail campaigns using post cards should continually point clients to the phone: “Hey, just pick up the phone and call us right now.”

Even if you just offer free inside industry information, it’s empowering your clients to have all your information right there at their fingertips – if they just call right now and ask.

2. FREE Quotes.

One of the best offers to make on a postcard is to offer a FREE quote or a FREE estimate.  Most business you receive starts out this way anyhow – someone calls for a quote, estimate, free booklet or for information.  Offer this on your card for maximum response.

Since many service jobs start out with a phone call asking for a quote, why not center your postcard marketing campaign on asking for the opportunity to quote.  This allows clients to tell you of their specific need while it generates a phone call for you.  Isn’t that exactly what your postcard marketing campaign is all about – finding a need and offering to fulfill it; and generating a phone call to start the process?

Please note: when making an offer for a FREE quote on a post card the word free should be in all capital letters.  Would you rather have a free quote or a FREE quote.

3. Generate referrals.

Postcards are GREAT for referrals.  Include a line on the bottom of ALL your direct mail marketing postcards saying “Thanks so much for all the referrals – we appreciate them.  Thank you!”  This implies some people have been giving you referrals, and stimulates referrals from all other readers.

By the way, if you print “Save this card” in small letters on your postcard, people will – increasing the longevity of the card and assuring your phone number will be at their fingertips when they need it.

4. Offer a FREE LUNCH.

Or, offer a free breakfast on your postcard.  Maybe dinner.  Put a dashed border around the post card and make it a fun coupon.  Hey, you need to meet with clients anyhow, to make sure they know who you are.

Lunches build loyalty and longevity into your business and face to face time creates and solidifies a real relationship.  Let them call you and take you up on this FREE offer whenever they like.  Remember, the bottom line of the post card campaign: once someone calls you, the post card worked.  100% success.

Once the phone rings, it’s up to you to fulfill your objective whatever it is. Once the reader is on the phone with you you can build loyalty, build trust, introduce new products, ask for referrals, cross sell, upsell, or simply close the sale.

If you market insurance or financial services like many of my clients, the phone call is also a great chance to offer a review all their policies and their financial portfolio over a meal.  Hey, I didn’t say it wouldn’t be a working lunch.

5. Offer a FREE BOOKLET.

The number ONE way to entice people to call in your post card direct mail marketing campaign (or any direct mail campaign, really) is to offer FREE information.  Information, booklets and white papers, they’re cheap to print and the value of the information they contain can be tremendous, especially if you keep the level of relevance high.

Here’s the most important tip…

To increase response of your direct mail marketing campaign: the title of the FREE booklet you offer on your postcard is entirely responsible for the quality and quantity of response. The title is a key element, and to a large part responsible for your post card success or failure.  As in most direct mail offers, the better the booklet TITLE, the greater the response.  Simple as that.

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Here’s why I like postcard marketing campaigns. Short crisp and to the point, direct mail postcards are one of the fastest and lowest cost ways to make your phone ring. This is the first of 4 articles by Jeffrey Dobkin on how to make your post card marketing campaign drive more phone calls to you and generate more response.

Post cards are not necessarily a good marketing campaign for the straight-up, out-and-out closing of a sale, but if created correctly direct mail post cards can be great for pre-selling products and services, building brand awareness, and creating customer loyalty. And of course, I saved the best for last: post cards are the most efficient and excellent direct mail advertising vehicles for generating phone calls.

A postcard direct mail campaign can make your phone ring off the hook with compelling headlines, smooth transitions, charming copywriting, lively graphics, an irresistible offer and a solid call to action. Even further: a series of direct mail post cards can receive an explosive response, build customer loyalty and stimulate brand awareness. Yet post cards remain one the easiest to manage direct mail marketing campaigns.

Even though postcards aren’t the best for closing sales because of their short format and open architecture (no one can enclose a check to pay for an order – or write a credit card number) response can still be quite high. Here are several important goals of using post cards in any direct mail marketing campaign.

1. Generate phone calls.
The number one objective of most post card marketing campaigns is to generate a phone call. Ninety percent of the post cards I create for clients are written to fulfill this single objective: make the phone ring.

The way to make the phone ring is very straightforward in this short postcard format: offer something for FREE and ask for the phone call several times on the card. “Call for FREE information!” “Call for FREE review! Call for free analysis. Call for our FREE booklet. Call for FREE quote. Call for…” well you get the idea.

Ask readers to call you enough and they will. Every time a reader calls, you have the opportunity to provide better service, and increase client loyalty and longevity. And oh, yea… did I mention increase sales and revenue. Yea, you can do that, too. Did you notice I said YOU do that? Your post card doesn’t do that, YOU do that. The post card generates the call, but YOU make the sale.

2. Build brand awareness.
The other 10% of the postcards I create build brand. By mailing postcards frequently, you can stay in the top of your client’s and prospect’s minds. So when your clients need anything that relates to your business – whatever you’re selling – they immediately think of you and call you first.

3. Create Instant Success.
Post cards can generate immediate response if your offer touches a timely trigger point. Figure out what your prospect’s immediate need is and address that in your card. Then, ask for the call – what else?

4. Build relationships.
Sure, you can – it’s easy! But not with a single postcard. You need to create this direct mail marketing campaign over time, with a series of postcards. Mailing postcards every two weeks is ideal. Even if you did this for an entire year, the total cost would be only ($.50 x 26 =) $13 dollars for the whole year. The key to success? Your list, relevancy, and your offer.

5. Don’t sell your product.
The final objective is to realize that you don’t need to sell your product from the post card. That’s right – don’t sell your product — but you do generate phone calls and inquiries. Then when the person calls, YOU sell your product or service. Now you see how it’s much easier to achieve your goal (generating a phone call) with your direct mail post card than getting an order: to actually make someone to put money in an envelope and wave goodbye to it.

And since postcards are easy to handle, postcards are so much less work than other direct mail marketing campaigns which consist of letters, brochures or anything that needs to be placed in an envelope, folded or stapled. So much less fuss and muss – just address and mail. Postcards are easy.

These are the “goals” and objectives of your postcard marketing campaign.  Then – since this post card marketing article series was originally written for an insurance magazine, the final marketing article installment shows you 15 specific offers you can make on a postcard if you are in the insurance industry.

Hey, if you actually are in the insurance industry, this article series is an awesome 10 out of 10; but wow – get a life: insurance is pretty boring. The good news? You make a lot of money, you get to meet a lot of people and you get to go on some nice travel junkets. The bad news? You go with other insurance agents.

If you’re not in the insurance business, you’re probably much better off, and besides, most of these offers will still work for you anyhow. Read the complete article set at http://www.danielleadams.com

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

This is the easiest phone call you’ll ever make. It’s your “Reason To Call.” It’s what you DIDN’T tell them in your letter, post card or your last phone conversation becomes important.

Sure, you’re mailing your best prospects to get them to call you, or at least that’s the objective of the mailing pieces I create for my clients.  And you’re mailing to customers all the time to make sure you keep up your relationship with them, where your calling goals lean towards continually building their confidence, loyalty… and of course to get referrals which is always nice.

Or, maybe you just want them to remember you when they need a quote or have an insurance or financial question.

So, you’re doing everything right, but still… business is slow.  And you’re kind of itching to speak with some of your better prospects because you’re good on the phone and you know how to close additional business.

But you need that key element – that one phrase that is pivotal to the campaign, to tie it all together.  You need that one reason to call.  Here it is:

“Oh, I forgot to mention…”

Yes, it’s the phrase you can pull out that smoothly and subtly lets you in the door.

“When I sent that quote I forgot to mention…”

“In my last post card I forgot to mention…”

“I forgot to mention I’ve written a new paper on…”

“I forgot to mention new coverage has come DOWN in price because…”

“In our last conversation I forgot to mention…”

Now you can feel comfortable to call anyone and tell them what you left out of your letter, post card, call, website, ad, seminar.  Oh, you’re so sorry – you forgot to mention a key point they need to know right now… and here it is.

Maybe in your rush to get your new newsletter to them, it wasn’t included.  Maybe a recent news story triggered this need (“I saw this story in the news tonight and I thought I’d better call you… because I forgot to mention…”)  Maybe a new law created information they need to know right now.

Or maybe in your latest negotiation, your new providers presented information that affects them. And in fact, it just became available (“I was speaking with one of our new providers earlier today and he advised me of a change in your policy — I thought you’d want to know about right away because I forgot to mention this in…”)

I write about marketing with letters and post cards all the time.  However, the phone is one of the best marketing tools you can use.  But unless you use the phone in a tightly controlled way it can fast become a burden to you, and an annoyance to clients.

By using this key phrase and spacing out calls at only so many per day, it becomes an effective tool to build business, relationships and longevity into accounts — without stress.

The “Oh, I forgot to mention…” technique is an incredible tool for a less stressed environment using the telephone.  It’s also great for getting past gatekeepers: simply say the reason you’d like to speak with your customer or prospect is about your last letter to him – something you forgot to mention… and your sure they’ll feel it’s important.  Gets you right through.  Any questions?

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

1. Dash off a letter, then photocopy it on cheap bond, and send it with a business card… and call it a direct mail campaign.

Or worse yet – photocopy your old brochure and send it with a business card and call it direct mail.  Then, when it doesn’t work call me up and complain, “Yea, we tried direct mail and it doesn’t work.”  Real direct mail letters and literature are created from scratch with their original purpose defined as “to use as a direct mail solicitation,” and the objective of “To generate a phone call.”

And BTW, a real direct mail “campaign” isn’t a single mailing of anything.  Campaign = more than one mailing.

2. Expect a response of oh, 5 to 8 percent, and the orders to pile in.

Direct mail is a game of numbers, the difference between loss, B/E, $$$ and $$$$$ can be as small a 1/4 of 1%.  If you’re lucky – you break even.  If you’re good, you make money.  If you’re really good, you do this time after time, mailing after mailing, and year after year.

Any mailing that makes you money is successful. Here are the figures you need:  If you mailed 5,000 pieces and they cost 50¢ each ($2,500) how many clients do you need to B/E?  How many calls do you need to generate to get that many clients?  Now, is that percent of response realistic?  Hint: If it’s over 2%, it isn’t.  More likely response will be ½ of 1%.  Yup.

3. Crank up your direct mail campaign and expect to get orders.

Sure, you can get lucky, but… Our profession is like a marriage – it all starts with a relationship. Then you get orders.  Well at least in my marriage…  And everything starts with a phone call.  Every relationship starts with a phone call.  And that’s what you need for your direct mail campaign to be successful: a phone call.

So ask for people to call you several times in your direct mail piece.  Don’t be shy – tell people what you want them to do: Call = success.  No call = failure.  Any questions?

4. Sell your services directly from a post card.

Post cards aren’t long enough for a selling proposition in the financial and insurance communities.  The correct – and only – objective for a post card is to “Generate a phone call.”  Then YOU close the sale.

The best way to do generate a phone call is to offer something for free.  The least expensive free product with the most power to generate phone calls is a free informational booklet.  And the title determines the number of calls.  Mediocre title = mediocre number of calls.  Awesome title = awesome number of calls.  Use the Jeff Dobkin 100 to 1 rule for creating great titles: write 100, go back and pick out your best one.

5. Just use the mamby pamby mailers from the parent company.

We all know those don’t work in these tough times.  Heck, they didn’t work when times were good.  By the time their compliance department finished ripping anything, everything out – there’s nothing left to make people pick up the phone and “call now!”

Instead send a “Thank you” letter – just thank people for their business, and offer a FREE analysis of their current policies.  Offer a FREE quote of any new business.  Send a post card saying you have 7 new products that may be of interest to them.  Offer a FREE “Performance analysis” of their portfolio.  Ot ask them to call for your new FREE INFORMATIONAL BOOKLET.   Just make the phone ring.  Any questions?

6. Tell everyone to go to your website.

No offense, but your website sucks.  It doesn’t make me order directly, and it doesn’t make me call you = lost sale.  So besides blocking any sale, putting an additional deterrent between you and the customer and creating more friction slowing down the sales process — what exactly does it do?  Better yet – just tell everyone to call you in your direct mail piece.

Because if your website worked perfectly, which it doesn’t, that’s what it would have people do.

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Here’s how to get your best prospects to call you, and the cost to you is $20. Send me the $20 and I’ll tell you.

It was a joke.  Come-on, lighten up.  You can send me the $20 later.  It does cost $20 a lead, but hey, they’re your best prospects — and you’re going to get to them to call you.  How much is that very warm lead worth?  What are you paying to get each lead to call you now?

Gather a list of your top 100 prospects.  What?  You don’t have a ready list of your top 100 prospects?  Shame on you.  If I was your boss, and you were one of the most beautiful women in the world…  Well, as long as I was wishing I thought I’d wish for something I really really wanted – and frankly, who cares about being your boss…

So, if you run a big firm, make that a list of your top 500 prospects.  And make that a $100.  Frankly, if these “top prospects” aren’t worth the money to get each of them to call you, you need to rethink your list—and your business revenue models.  But for now, suppose they are and you have this list.  Here’s what to do.

Write a nice letter about how great your service is and how great your products are. Blah blah blah – it doesn’t matter what you say here, they won’t really read it. But up in the top right, type the following:

If this number: 6675657

Matches your WINNING NUMBER

~ 6675657 ~

You have won a CROSS PEN!

You’re a WINNER!

Please call me (610-642-1000) to redeem this letter for your FREE CROSS PEN.  Thanks and congratulations!

No one knows all the numbers are winning numbers, and they don’t have to know.  They’ll just see that they are a winner.  Everyone likes to be a winner, and everyone likes Cross pens. You can buy them for about twenty bucks if you shop around.

If possible, print the “matching number” you showed in the center in a different typeface or a different color so it looks like you stamped it on the page.

I did a variation of this promotion for a client at a trade show to get high-end attendees to stop at our booth.  You could see their face light up at the end of our isle when they caught their first glimpse of our booth!

It was really easy to tell who these folks were – they came bounding down the isle, unflinching gaze locked on our booth like we would leave or it wouldn’t be there if they turned away for a second.  As they got closer, you could see the big smile on their faces and tightly clutching our letter in their sweaty little hands.

Results?  Ouch: we ran out of pens in the first hour!  Then, despite buying all the Cross pens from every local office supply store in the area before lunch, we ran out again by 1:30.  Finally – we had to give “Cross Pen Gift Certificates” (rain check), and our promise to send everyone a pen when we got back.  It really was a great and successful promotion.  If you have a booth at a trade show, this promotion rocks.

Do this right and your own prospects will all be winners.  You’ll be a winner by having your best prospects call you – isn’t that nice for a change?

Not so fast.

Whether you hand prospects a pen or send it in the mail, it’s important to have a nice letter go with it.  Even though people will be happy they’ve won, the value YOU receive from the promotion (as the contributor of the gift) is in the letter – and it should be a great one.  Anyone can give out a pen, but the letter is your chance to change a prospect into a client, or solidify a valuable client relationship.

Fax me a copy of your letter that accompanies each pen (610-642-6832) and I’ll tune it up, no charge. If it really stinks, I’ll just scribble “This Stinks” on it with my big red pen and send it back.  New letters from me are available to really kick up your response, but I ain’t cheap – just really good.  Did you want cheap?  Or maximum response?

Next, when you give someone a Cross Pen, you might offer to have it engraved with their name on it.  While it won’t be an immediate gift, it will have greater value over time both when it arrives at their office and forever more.

It costs a few additional bucks, but can be worth it.  Engraving their name on the pen assures it will go in their shirt pocket instead of in their desk drawer.  And yes, by having it arrive in the mail it will leave a greater brand impression of you and your company.

Last, if you want to see how important this letter can be and how it generates clients – drop me a note.  Write your name and address on the back of that $20 you’ve owed me since the 4th paragraph, and I’ll send you a sample letter.  OK, fine: I’ll send it for free.  Hey, when you get right down to it I’m pretty nice.  Right?

- Jeffrey

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..